EDINBURG — A lawyer for recently dismissed Hidalgo County Head Start Program Executive Director Teresa Flores said Monday that his client has authorized him to move toward litigation after the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court declined to discuss her termination during a meeting Monday.
The court acknowledged it received communication about that termination, but opted against discussing it, publicly or behind closed doors.
John Shergold, an attorney representing Flores, delivered a public comment address to the court, arguing that the commissioners and county judge have the authority to take an active role regarding decisions made by Head Start’s Policy Council, including action regarding Flores’ dismissal. He specifically mentioned the possibility of a mediation process.
Flores, Shergold said, was a dedicated and diligent executive director.
“This is 19 years of evaluations,” Shergold told the court, holding up a thick folder. “Everything in here is excellent and outstanding.”
The community and Flores, Shergold said, deserved to have the court explain the motive behind the former executive director’s removal in public. After the meeting, he called the decision to not discuss that dismissal a disappointment and promised litigation.
“We came here today in a very negotiating type of mind. … We wanted them to put their cards on the table to tell us what is the [reason] they’ve terminated this wonderful person for with this history of great service to this county,” Shergold said. “And they decided to go ahead and say no action. So guess what? We’re gonna give ‘em some action, and it’s gonna be over in the courthouse.”
According to Shergold, Flores has a year to file suit. He says she plans to make a complaint with Texas Workforce Commission’s civil rights division and file a discrimination charge, and to ask for an investigation into her termination — which he describes as wrongful.
That process could take some six months, Shergold said. After that, he expects to sue.
“We’re not gonna let this injustice stand,” he said.
Flores, who was present for the meeting, did not address the court and referred questions from reporters to her attorney.
Meanwhile, the Head Start Policy Council appears poised to move on from its former director.
An agenda for a meeting scheduled for Wednesday says the board will discuss appointing an interim replacement to the executive director role.
Ric Gonzalez, an attorney representing Head Start and its spokesperson in the absence of an executive director, declined to comment on Flores’ dismissal Monday, describing it as a personnel matter.
He did not respond to an email Tuesday asking whether Head Start had a response to Shergold’s comments and whether the council still planned to discuss appointing an interim director.
Responding to a public information request filed by The Monitor, a Head Start representative said Tuesday that the organization’s human resources department could not locate complaints filed against Flores during the past five years.
